Ashley To Decide - Newcastle Or Rangers!

05 November 2013 11:54

Mike Ashley could have a "get out of jail" card up his sleeve, should he decide his days on Tyneside are numbered.

The Toon owner has tried to sell Rangers merchandise at the club shop in recent days, as his 'one true love' in football gets passed around.

First it was an undying devotion to Tottenham Hotspur that saw him rent a box at White Hart Lane for EIGHT seasons; before buying out Newcastle United.

During which time he played down all Tottenham links, insising "I hate Spurs - I used to support Chelsea!".

Now he is supporting Glasgow Rangers, and has the option to buy out the club, but ONLY if he sells Newcastle United!

Those are the rules, apparently, as no individual can own two clubs outright.

Former Rangers chairman Malcolm Murray has played down suggestions that Mike Ashley might be ready to increase his stake in the fallen Scottish giants.Ashley owns a minor stake in the Ibrox club, who now play in the third tier of Scottish football, and Rangers undoubtedly provide the opportunity for a fantastic return on any potential investment.

With a route to the Champions League open if they continue to move through the leagues, there is arguably a more straightforward route there for him than the troubled path he has plotted at Newcastle.But Murray – who suggests that his retail operation at Rangers is underperforming – says there is little prospect of Ashley selling up at Newcastle and moving on to Scotland.

He said: “The rules of football are complex but, as far as I understand, if you own a Premier League club, then you can’t own more than 10% of a Scottish club. So, unless he sells Newcastle, then he can’t (own Rangers).“Mike Ashley is an eccentric, fast moving guy though, put it that way. I don’t think he will (make a takeover move) though.“The retail side of things at Rangers has not performed as well as we’d have liked it to. I’d rather he concentrated on getting that right.”

IDEAL FOR CHRISTMAS MAGPIES IN EUROPE - HARVEY TO PARDEW

The new version of "Magpies In Europe" will be launched next week.

Although NUFC are not talking to the Chronicle or Sunday Sun . we are!

And the full story is expected to be in newspapers within the next two weeks.

The official new title is "Magpies In Europe - Harvey To Pardew" and is an up-dated version of "From Antwerp To Zurich" - which includes the 14 Europa League fixtures we played last season.

The 280-page book features match reports from the 134 European matches Newcastle United have played, starting with the memorable 4-0 win over Feyenoord in 1968 on our European debut.

Included are stats and the figures you would expect, but also each away fixture has the remarkable experiences of individuals who travelled to watch the matches.

Introduction by "Big Bad" John McNamee, part of the Fairs Cup winning team of 1969.

It is a fascinating history that every Newcastle United fan will enjoy.